<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>dreaming with the team ; dreamteam by twiddledeethumbs</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28212873">dreaming with the team ; dreamteam</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiddledeethumbs/pseuds/twiddledeethumbs'>twiddledeethumbs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Dating, Fanfiction, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Imagines, Lowercase, mcyt - Freeform, minecraft youtuber</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:01:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28212873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiddledeethumbs/pseuds/twiddledeethumbs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>my three favorite minecraft youtubers whom i've been simping for since the beginning of the year.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Reader / Dreamteam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. awake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey! wanted to let you know that there will be no smut or anything explicitly sexual, just mainly fluff stories with a bit of angst mixed in there. the stories range from a variety of alternate universes and various plotlines, which i hope you'll enjoy. tried to be mostly gender friendly for everyone.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>dream ; where clay and you are the best of friends, while he is a big time streamer and you provide mental support for the nights where he is wide awake. </p><p>warnings: friendstolovers!au</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"fucking hell, clay, what time is it?" you groggily answer the phone after trying to ignore the blasting ringtone for the last three minutes. </p><p>"i'm not sure. i lost track of time, which is why i called you!" he said, his voice bright despite the late hour. you sat up in bed and removed the phone from your eye to check the time:  4am.</p><p>"clay, it's four in the morning. did you even try to sleep?"</p><p>he was quiet, meaning you got your answer through his silence. "i'm starting to get that you're just looking for an excuse to talk to me," you say, energy slowly flowing through you. </p><p>dream scoffed, "you wish. but, yes i didn't try to sleep, but that's because i genuinely didn't want to. i wanted to be productive."</p><p>"okay, one," you start, moving to sit at your desk and put the phone on speaker, "you're already productive for the entire day and two, we know that's a lie."</p><p>"yeah, whatever, y/n. now please stay with me?" he asks with a slight plead in your voice.</p><p>"of course," you said with a hint of softness.</p><p>not that you were keeping track, but you've stayed with him for the last week and tonight was not any different. you learned to adapt to his sleeping schedule, which meant sleeping at 8pm and waking up at whatever time dream called you, which ranged from about 3-5 am. </p><p>you didn't mind sleeping at 8pm and waking up again at 4am to talk to your best friend. you didn't have much going on in your life, other than the occasional school, which didn't matter to you because you planning to transfer to a better school in a couple of months anyway.</p><p>you and clay have been friends since high school, but there was a point where the two of you didn't talk for at least two years, when he moved to florida during senior year. you unfortunately had no contact with him until the day he reached out to you when you first entered college, leading you to find out that he had become famous overnight through a gaming channel, where no one knew what he looked like.</p><p>without even realizing it, the first night you reconciled with him, both of you had stayed up until five in the morning talking. this brought old memories in high school, where he often snuck into your bedroom just to talk.</p><p>talking to him also brought old memories of you having a major crush on him before he moved, but thank goodness those feelings disappeared after no contact for a couple of years. </p><p>tonight was no different. already prepared, you had a stash of pringles next to your desk, where you settled in your chair for a night of talking with your best friend once again. </p><p>"how was today, did you do anything interesting, y/n?" clay asked you. </p><p>"no sir, was just busy doing catching up with schoolwork at the coffee shop. how was your day, clay?"</p><p>"it was boring, i edited some videos for george, hung out with sapnap on his stream, but then got bored and brainstormed for some new concepts. and now we're here again."</p><p>"yes, we are. hey, can i ask you something?" you said, feeling quite bold. "is there anyone else you would call this late at night?"</p><p>he gasped. "i would never call anyone other than you, y/n. i mean it when i say you're my bestest best friend. george and sapnap are my minecraft best friends, but you have priority over all of them, i promise."</p><p>you could hear the sincerity in his voice and you let out a quiet laugh. "i wanted to tease, but thank you. i'm really glad you call me and only me, too."</p><p>the rest of the night, the two of you went over what the plans were for tomorrow, then at that time, it was 7am. </p><p>"clay, it's so early, i need at least one hour of sleep if i wanna be presentable for that group project tomorrow. please try to sleep, alright?" you tell him sternly.</p><p>he groans, a whine starting to come together, but you clicked your tongue. "no, clay, i have to go, but please call me later, preferably after lunch time. love you, and sweet dreams."</p><p>"mmm, fine, y/n, goodnight and sweet dreams."</p><p>he barely said "i love you" to you, so you brushed it off and passed out as soon as your body was tucked under the blankets. </p><p>an hour later, you were up and already heading to the meeting point when you received a text from clay.</p><p>clay:<br/>
where are you meeting your group again? i forgot last night.</p><p>you:<br/>
does it really matter? lol</p><p>clay:<br/>
yes.</p><p>you:<br/>
jeez, okay. {address}</p><p>clay:<br/>
k thanks</p><p>you:<br/>
also why?<br/>
clay?<br/>
hello?<br/>
this bitch.</p><p>you rolled your eyes, shutting your phone off and walking into the café, taking a seat at the table near the back. </p><p>you waited for a couple minutes, until you looked at your phone again, wondering where your teammates were. you were surprised to see another text from clay, seeing as he left you hanging not too long ago.</p><p>clay:<br/>
i see you</p><p>you:<br/>
weirdo. ima need to call the police on you</p><p>clay:<br/>
look up, dumbass</p><p>following his directions, you saw a tall figure in the doorway approaching you. in clay's left hand was a bouquet of flowers and in the other, a bag of your favorite hot ships. his infamous lopsided, but adorable grin lit up his face as he proudly handed you the luxuries. he interrupted you before you could say anything.</p><p>"i wanted to say thank you in a much more extra way. you do a lot for me, y'know?" he says, taking the seat next to you. "this was the least i could do, so could you say something other than, 'oh clay, thank you so so much!'" he mimics with a higher voice. </p><p>way too happy to even comment back a rebuttal, with your nose in the bunch of pink azaleas, you lightly smacked his arm instead. he was dressed in a light blue and gray sweater vest with baggy jeans, a beanie covering his grown out hair. you finally turned to face him with a matching grin like his on your face.</p><p>"i super appreciate it, clay, this was like a dream come true," you winked while he rolled his eyes, lightly punching you, too.</p><p>"whatever, loser. i just came to drop these off. i gotta get back and i know you've got a project to do for school, or whatever," he said, standing up and patting you on the head. </p><p>"i know you're just going back to sleep!" you shout at his retreating figure. you laughed under your breath, adjusting your materials on the table in front of you.</p><p>you:<br/>
i missed you</p><p>clay:<br/>
i missed you, too, dummy</p><p>you:<br/>
next time, skip out on the gifts and let's just hang out. i have the craving to find a really good sandwich</p><p>clay:<br/>
you got it, boss. goodnight :D</p><p>knew it, you thought. not a second later, all three of your group members come in. they explained they were late because they got the address mixed up, and they were coming from a college party the night before. of course they did.</p><p>"no problem at all, let's just get this done."</p><p>working for the next three hours, the four of you sat around, drinking concerning amounts of coffee (especially you), starting and finishing the project in one sitting. despite being known to slack of, the three of your group members seemed to put a lot of effot.</p><p>at almost 2pm, the four of you stood up and cleaned your area. "i can turn it in for all of us, but thank you for pulling your weight. it means a lot to me," you said as you all left the coffee shop.</p><p>they said it was no trouble at all, of course, and they would see you later in class. you walked through the parking lot, looking for your car, then jumped when a horn sounded. "what the fuck was that?"</p><p>"hey, y/n!" your name was shouted and you looked around the lot, tracing the source to the man known as your best friend, clay. he stood next to his car, toying with his key and waving you over to him.</p><p>"let's go find that perfect sandwich," he said.</p><p>glee filled up your heart and you smiled widely. "i will follow you, let's go!" you immediately hopped into your car and followed after clay's car, first stopping at a local sandwich shop. </p><p>"that was a bust," you said as you got into your car and clay called you from his.</p><p>"agreed. next one."</p><p>after three more sandwich shops, the fourth one clicked with both of your taste buds. with wide eyes, you looked up to meet clay's, who sat in front of you and eating his own sandwich. "give me yours," you said, still chewing yet grabbing his out of his hand. you thrust yours into his hands and took a bite out of his.</p><p>"bruh, yes! this is it," you groaned, chewing both bites of the different sandwiches. "they both hit different, yet taste like the same magic." in front of you, clay is chewing on a relatively big bite of his sandwich and typing on his phone with a pinky. </p><p>"what are you doing?" you waved my hand in front of his face. </p><p>"tweeting," he said. then he finished, putting his phone away. i took mine out instead and immediately looked for dream's twitter.</p><p>@dream<br/>
if you're in florida, then go to {sandwich shop} like now.</p><p>"why would you say that?" you hissed, glancing behind me in case fans actually start to come in. </p><p>clay laughed. "chill, they literally wouldn't recognize me." at that moment, two girls came in the door and immediately you could tell they were trying to find dream. their eyes scanned the small shop and you kept your gaze trained on them while clay continued to eat happily.</p><p>a couple moments later, the girls left and clay started to laugh, at first lightly then his whole stomach came into play. "you're dumb, clay," you said, joining in his laughter.</p><p>the two of you left to hang out at dream's house. "you can just chill here," he said, "i gotta check on the minecraft server, but i'll be back."</p><p>you nodded, taking a seat on his couch and browsing through t.v. channels as he closes the door to his bedroom. you waited alone, watching a whole fuller house episode, which you didn't necessarily enjoy. what was taking dream so long?</p><p>in the kitchen, you grabbed a chilled water bottle and made your way to clay's room. "what's up, bitch, you took too long!" you announced loudly without paying attention to the fact that dream had his headphones on. </p><p>"shit, y/n! i'm with my friends." clay scrambled to mute himself and swiveled in his chair to look at you with a fearful look.</p><p>"can you chill? they're your friends. were any of them streaming?" you rolled your eyes at his dramatic tone.</p><p>"not at the moment, but they could've. you wouldn't have no idea," he shrugged, gesturing you to come closer. if people found out about you, then they could find out about dream's identity through that, so you had to be under the radar as well. you didn't mind the secrecy; you liked keeping your famous best friend to yourself.</p><p>from his reaction to walking in on him and his friends, you assume he just wanted to be safe, but you personally didn't see the problem with his closest friends knowing.</p><p>clay glanced back at his monitor and you could tell he was making a pros and cons list. about what, you couldn't tell.</p><p>"would you wanna meet my friends? they'll start streaming soon, but not now." you thought about it, then eventually agreed.</p><p>"fine, since you want me to so badly," you said, walking towards him.</p><p>"okay, great!" he unmuted himself in the voice channel. "you guys wanna meet my best friend? play nice," he warned. he took off his headphones and handed them to you, helping you adjust the mic to your face. </p><p>before even getting a chance to say your hello, multiple voices called out to you.</p><p>"this is dream's only friend outside of us and she's a girl!" the voice belonged to sapnap.</p><p>"a girl?" george's loud voice echoed.</p><p>bad interrupted, "i'm sure she has a name, doesn't she?"</p><p>finally, you were able to talk for yourself. "yes, hi, i'm y/n!"</p><p>a chorus of male voices echoed your name. aside from the three, you were able to discern the voices of karl, tommy, tubbo, skeppy, and quackity. the others, you weren't sure about and didn't want to make assumptions. </p><p>it was only a few minutes as everyone was trying to get a jab at you. the environment was enjoyable, but it was much different compared to when it was just you and dream. you still laughed, though. </p><p>you slowly got used to the loudness and clay kept looking over to you, mouthing questions to see if his friends weren't being assholes.</p><p>even as you got used to it, you were moved to another voice channel.</p><p>"what the fuck?"</p><p>"y/n!" george said your name. sapnap followed the two of you into a quieter voice chat.</p><p>"what's up?" you said. dream looked over your shoulder and shook his head.</p><p>"nothing, just wanted to talk to dream's lady friend on a much closer level," sapnap sang. </p><p>"so, what do you look like?" george asked.</p><p>"well, for dream's sake, i'll stay faceless for now," you responded.</p><p>the two of them bounced questions off each other, ranging from whether dream actually wet the bed to how they met. </p><p>nearly twenty minutes passed and from the corner of your eye, you could tell he was getting restless on the edge of his bed. "alright guys, i should get going. dream is getting bored," you said.</p><p>the two boys started to protest. "you just got here, why do you have to go?"</p><p>you smiled at their whines. "follow me on twitter then, just don't be sus about it." with that, you took off the headphones and gave them to dream, who put them on and said a quick good-bye to his friends. he joined you on the bed, laying down next to you and watching as you scrolled through twitter.</p><p>the both of you saw the notification that said GeorgeNotFound followed you! and Sapnap followed you!</p><p>"you gave them your twitter?" clay asked incredulously, looking at you with narrowed eyes. </p><p>"contrary to your belief, dream," you emphasized his screen name, "i make friends quite easily."</p><p>you followed back their profiles easily and george wasted no time in privately messaging you.</p><p>"what?! now you're talking without my permission?" clay's voice raised higher and you laughed harder.</p><p>"calm down! just as friends!" you clicked into the conversation and started responding to his simple greeting of hello!</p><p>y/username:<br/>
dream is reading over my shoulder right now, make him jealous</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
i've never seen your face , y/n, but i bet your drop dead gorgeous<br/>
you're**</p><p>y/username:<br/>
nice, but 7/10 because of the grammar</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
damn, so close yet so far</p><p>"can you stop flirting in front of me?" clay whined, smashing the pillow into his face. you rolled your eyes, sending a quick message back to george and putting your phone down. </p><p>your fingers trailed up clay's back, lighting grazing your fingerstips across the skin of his arm. you could feel him slightly tense up. "you know you're my best friend, clay," you whispered into his ear, leaning down and making sure he heard you.</p><p>"shut the fuck up, y/n." he pushes your face away from him as you cackle with a smirk.</p><p>"no matter," you said in a fake british accent, "i must go now. i have lots to prepare for school tomorrow, since someone distracted me all today." </p><p>clay walked you out, giving you a hug. "be safe, and talk later!"</p><p>-</p><p>back at home, you rested after an eventful day of hanging out with your best friend and meeting new friends. speaking of, george would not stop texting you. not that you minded, but you found it odd that he was so persistent in talking to you after just meeting you. </p><p>surprisingly, it was easy to talk to him. he was undeniably sweet and shy whenever you talked about anything remotely romantic, which you found adorable. the jokes he made were corny, but they made you laugh anyway. he told you a lot of funny moments the dream team shared, and you gladly kept mental note in case you needed to use them against dream.</p><p>you glanced at the time at the top of your phone screen. </p><p>y/username<br/>
bruh it's 12am<br/>
we've been talking since 7pm</p><p>georgenotfound<br/>
so what?</p><p>y/username<br/>
goodnight george :eyeroll:</p><p>georgenotfound<br/>
goodnight y/n :moon:</p><p>as you got ready for bed, you realized you were fucked, in case clay did end up calling at three am. your sleep schedule would throw you off track and for the rest of your school day, you would not be able to focus. </p><p>finally tucked into bed, you found yourself not wanting to spend tonight talking to your best friend who did not sleep. you hoped that clay didn't call just for one night.</p><p>-</p><p>the next morning, at eight in the morning, it took a couple moments, but you immediately realized that you didn't call clay at all last night. you reached over to your nightstand, checking through multiple notifications that came from clay's number.</p><p>you felt your stomach drop. oh, no. he did call, but you slept through it. reading through his texts, it seemed urgent and the hysteria was apparent through his words. you fucked up badly, and you needed to fix that.</p><p>but as of right now, you had a class to make at nine am. you rushed you fix your hair, wash your face, and change into a fresh set of clothes. on the way to school, already in your car, you called clay.</p><p>he didn't pick up the first time, but you weren't discouraged just yet. "please, pick up clay," you said aloud at the red stoplight.</p><p>he picked up the second time. when he said your name, his voice was raspy and strained.</p><p>voice soft, you said his name. "clay, i'm so sorry. i must've slept through it, but i'm not sure why." you knew why. you slept later than usual because you talked to george, but clay didn't need to know that. "i'm so sorry," you repeated after a beat of silence.</p><p>"i'm sorry, too. i'm not sure why i can't sleep, i guess i've had a lot of things to think about and it's affecting everything," he said. you could sense the strain he had to put his throat through just to say an apology.</p><p>"that's not necessary, clay, you know that you never have to apologize to me for your insomnia," you said firmly. you were close to your school, but you were determined to talk to your best friend for a good solid conversation.</p><p>"but still, i know the sleep you have to sacrifice for me. so maybe i should just say thank you instead."</p><p>"yes, i'll accept a thank you. and again, i hope you know how sorry i am. i really have no idea how i slept through your numerous calls. and by the way, fifty times? and twenty-five text messages? you must really love me," you joked, hoping to create a lighter atmosphere for the both of you.</p><p>he took the bait. "of course i don't. i wanted to call you, solely to tell you how ugly you are." </p><p>you barked with laughter, parking your car and grabbing your bag. "sure, clay, keep telling yourself that. anyway, i have class so i'll bother you later, okay?"</p><p>"promise?" the hope in his voice was hard to miss.</p><p>shutting your car door and locking it, you said with a small smile on your face, "i promise."</p><p>today's math lecture was about some complicated advanced functions and using them to solve word problems. whoever decided to combine both english and math deserves to feel like they're stepping on legos wherever they go.</p><p>underneath your notebook, you were on twitter, scrolling to avoid learning anything about math. then you received a notification from george.</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
what are you doing right now?</p><p>y/username:<br/>
i do believe that it's none of your business<br/>
but if you must know, i'm in class, bored out of my mind<br/>
how about you?</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
bored, too. just eating a snack and wanted to text you</p><p>y/username:<br/>
you seem to be doing that a lot. any particular reason?</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
if you're insinuating that i like you, then i'm afraid i'll have to crush your ego<br/>
no, i just don't talk to many female friends and you're a great candidate</p><p>y/username:<br/>
i'll take that</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
anyway, here, i'll invite you to somewhere</p><p>you waited, and a couple moments later, you received were added into a twitter group chat with the two other members of the dream team. </p><p>sapnap:<br/>
ayyyy what's up y/n</p><p>georgenotfound:<br/>
she's here ! not even gonna lie, we talked about this for a while</p><p>dream:<br/>
we? i didn't even realize y/n was active... i thought you were in class</p><p>y/username<br/>
i aM lmao just don't feel like paying attention so george texted me</p><p>dream:<br/>
you need to pay attention, LEAVE Y/N otherwise i'll block you</p><p>y/username:<br/>
y'all hear that, dream is being mean :crying_cat:</p><p>listening anyway, you turn off your phone and try your hardest to focus on the droning professor in the front of the class. </p><p>from that conversation with george, you think back to him saying he doesn't have those kinds of feelings, which was good, you guessed. then you thought back to clay, your best friend. you allowed yourself to think for the briefest moment, that if you and george ever did date, would that change your friendship?</p><p>then after that slightest moment, you let the never-ending "what if's" wash over your back like a wave. </p><p>an hour later, the lecture was over and you packed up your bag, heading back to your car. you went to the library and rented out clay's favorite movie, bought flowers and his favorite drink to go with it all. you felt bad for last night and wanted to make it up to him. you rushed to his place.</p><p>clay opened the door, wearing a gray hoodie and black sweatpants and his hair messed up. "i didn't know you were coming," he said, moving aside to let you in.</p><p>setting the bags down, you wrapped your arms around him tightly. "i really am sorry." your voice was muffled with your face in the angle of his neck, and you took that as a chance to breathe in his scent. </p><p>he pulled you away from him and he looked down at you, smiling with no teeth. "it's okay, i forgive you." from that alone, you could tell he was holding back something else.</p><p>still in his embrace, you pressed further. "clay, what's up?" </p><p>in response, he offered no words but instead you could feel him tighten his fingers around your waist, see his jaw clench, and his hesitation rise. then, he let go. "nothing, i'm just feeling the after effects of last night."</p><p>"again, i am so sorry," you said once again, then pulled away from his warmth. you gestured for him to open the bags on the counter. he looked at you with a look of suspicion, but opened them anyway. </p><p>"i thought we could watch your favorite movie, all tonight. i don't have class tomorrow, so that'll be fine with no repercussions. the flowers to repay you for last time, and the drink because you're sweet," you added with a sheepish smile as he pulled each of the items outside of the bags and the movie snacks in the other. </p><p>clay looked at you with brighter eyes than you've seen all day. "i'll take that as a yes!"</p><p>the two of you brought out blankets and pillows from clay's bedroom and settled into the crooks of the couch, not forgetting to bring the snacks beside you.</p><p>for the rest of the night, you and clay put on movie after movie, the supply of snacks decreasing with every passing minute. it was around 11pm when george texted you through twitter. your phone lit up next to you and clay didn't hide his curiosity and craned his neck to read the notification.</p><p>"why's george texting you?"</p><p>without even looking, you shrugged, continuing to chew on the candy in your mouth.</p><p>"no seriously, why? it's late here and there." you could tell through clay's voice he was getting impatient. so you paused the movie and put the food aside. </p><p>"he just likes texting me, i don't know, clay. it doesn't matter, does it?"</p><p>"yes, i think it does matter. did he text you this late last night?"</p><p>you didn't answer, but either way, clay got his answer.</p><p>"fuck, y/n, this is why you slept so late, huh? because you stayed up talking to george?" </p><p>"that was my fault, and i really am sorry!" you said back just as loudly as him. the two of you seem to have forgotten the movie playing on the screen.</p><p>"because i needed you, y/n! i didn't want to fucking admit it, but if you looked at my messages from last night, you would've seen that there was no one else i wanted other than you. no one else i needed.</p><p>"not to mention," he continued his rampant, "earlier today, too. during class. i thought you were going to talk to me later, but instead, you were talking to george in the time you could've been talking to me. now you're in our group chat without me even knowing before hand."</p><p>you were quiet, unsure of what to say. clay spoke again, starting to clean up the messes of the food wrappers. "i'm going to sleep, goodnight, y/n." he left the lights on, but left you sitting alone on the couch that used to be filled with his presence. </p><p>sighing out, you took a glance at your phone and put it on do not disturb mode. george would have to wait. you cleaned up your own area and created a makeshift place to sleep for the night.</p><p>you knew clay was hurt, which was understandable, but you also knew that he didn't want to be alone, let alone be without you. so, you made the decision for the both of you to stay the night. like you said, you had no class tomorrow.</p><p>you also knew that he wasn't asleep, meaning you weren't sleeping either. on your back, staring at the ceiling, you could hear the faint sound of music playing from clay's room. slowly, you started to fall asleep.</p><p>you were dreaming that you were in your paradise, clay beside you and laughing along with you. you don't remember why you were laughing, but then the mood came to the topic of marriage and the future. clay looked at you with the eyes you've known since you were young adults. he smiled and at that moment, the wonders of the world rushed over you. </p><p>his hand came closer to your face, holding your cheek in his right hand. his thumb brushed over your cheek, then your chin, and lips. the intimacy in this single act was new, but felt normal. the gaze between the two of you had shocks of electricity, each burning you whenever you thought about moving closer to him. and so you did, but the moment your lips almost touched, you woke up. </p><p>you shot up straight from the covers and your head fell into your hands. "fuck," you whispered. you glanced at the shut door of clay's room, where the music was still playing. you guessed it was around two am, and you knew he was still awake. </p><p>moving slowly, you opened the door to his room and peeked in. clay was in bed, wide awake, but not moving. he blinked at the sound of you entering the room. you laid down on the floor beside his bed and fell back asleep quickly. </p><p>-</p><p>you woke up, not on the floor, but in clay's bed, which was empty, save for the pillow that shared his scent. </p><p>noise came from the kitchen, so you followed it, watching as clay moved around, cooking breakfast. "good morning," you said. he didn't even seem phased and continue his fluid movement through the room. </p><p>you took a seat at the counter. </p><p>"thank you, clay, for letting me stay over. i really am sorry. i've always tried to be there for you, and being friends with george won't change that, you know?"</p><p>clay finally turned around from the stove. "i could tell, y/n. and i'm sorry, too, for walking out on our movie night like that."</p><p>you said nothing back; things were okay again.</p><p>"did you seriously have no plans?" he asks a moment later.</p><p>"none, other than hanging out here, unless you wanted me to go," you said, but you knew he would immediately protest, like he did the minute the words left your mouth.</p><p>"no, you can stay," he said, returning to the pan on the stove. a few moments later, he brought two hot plates of french toast to the counter and glasses of water for the two of you. you took the time to appreciate the morning appearance of your best friend, whose hair seemed to fall perfectly into itself and his baggy clothes hanging from his body, where the little sliver of skin peeked from his crewneck hoodie. </p><p>it wasn't awkward while you ate in silence, the clinking of metal against the plates gave you time to think to yourself. the dream you had last night manifested into your mind, permanently tainting the great breakfast you were having. the almost-shared kiss between you and clay messed you up more than you could've imagined.</p><p>not to mention, when his hand was caressing your face, you swear you could've felt the gentle touch of his hand when you were sleeping. </p><p>did this mean you liked him again? it's been years since that phase, you thought to yourself. how was it possible it came back?</p><p>sneaking a look at clay beside you, a revelation came to mind: it was possible that it never disappeared. you were royally fucked. </p><p>you finished your plate before clay, but as soon as he did finish, you took both your plates and went to wash them both. you could feel clay's eyes on you as you did the dishes, feeling a wave of heat follow the trail of his gaze sweeping across your body.</p><p>before, there have been times where you each gave each other hugs from behind. one memory in particular was in high school, where after his football game, a rather stressful one, you came rushing behind him and hugged him, this time around his waist and not his shoulders, like usual. </p><p>it was awkward at first, but he relaxed, then turned around to face you, hugging you from the front in the middle of the football field while still sweating and you still out of breath.</p><p>just like now, except you weren't out of breath because you were cheering. clay's arms were around your waist, his chin resting on your right shoulder with his breath fanning your ear, his fingers underneath your pajama top.</p><p>"clay?"</p><p>he didn't pull away, so you tried your best to concentrate on the dishes in front of you. when you finished, clay spun you around without giving you time to dry your hands. he trapped you against the sink, his arms on either side of you.</p><p>"i needed you last night, y/n," he started, his voice low. his eyes bore into yours, screaming at you to listen. "but instead you were talking to george. is he your best friend now? i didn't realize."</p><p>"no, no, clay, you know you're my only best friend," you said, refusing to succumb to his top behavior. you were determined not to break eye contact. "i didn't even respond to him last night." having clay this close to you was soul-shaking, your voice was the quietest you've ever heard.</p><p>"do you know why i was going crazy two nights ago?"</p><p>"i wouldn't know, clay, you need to be more open with me."</p><p>"open?" his eyes flashed. "alright then. i couldn't sleep two nights ago because i needed my best friend to help me sort out my own feelings for her. i needed some kind of clarity to see if she felt the same. but instead, i went crazy out of my own mind trying to clarify it myself. how's that for open?"</p><p>you closed your eyes to take in what he just said. fuck. he came upon this while you came upon yours? how fucking ironic. what the hell were you supposed to say now?</p><p>"it's your turn to be open now," clay said, which prompted you to open your eyes.</p><p>"i've had feelings for my so-called best friend since high school, when i had to watch him get every girl on every sports team. and now, when it's convenient, feelings are sparked then, which i don't know if you realize, clay, but it's pretty fucking confusing." you forcefully leave his entrapment, storming to sit on the couch because of the lack of space in his apartment.</p><p>you heard clay sigh and approach you from the left, making sure to keep distance from you on the couch. </p><p>"y/n, i'm sorry, okay? i know it's all  bullshit, i couldn't control how i felt back then and i can't control how i feel now. all i know is that you've been there since the beginning and at night, and i can't ever forget that. all i ask, is a chance," he said quietly.</p><p>"fucking hell, clay, please," you whispered, your hands shaking in your lap. "alright, fine. one chance." one chance, you said. firmly, you said.</p><p>clay took the opportunity to come closer to you and rest his head on your lap, where your hands instinctively played with the ends of his hair. you've never even done this before, not with him. so tell me, why did it feel like routine?</p><p>from that day, you stayed at clay's place often, meaning he no longer had to call you in times his mind was going haywire. instead, he could just reach over and hold you and his mind would slow down along with his heartbeat. </p><p>you were able to openly show your affection to clay, in terms of kisses on his forehead, pinches to his bicep, or more than friendly messages of encouragement whispered into his ear. </p><p>george and sapnap weren't surprised. apparently, george was meant to flirt with y/n because sapnap had that feeling that the two of you, you and clay, were more than friends. </p><p>when it came to streaming, your relationship was private and kept away from the fans, at least for the time being. for now, the relationship you had with clay was only between the two of you, a secret not meant to be shared. a dream that was experienced wide awake.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. grown up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>sapnap ; where five friends are graduating this year, time is running out, and everyone and everything around you is growing up, whether you're ready or not.</p><p>friendstolovers!au, fluff</p><p>(since we do not know sapnap's full name, we're going to make up details for the purpose of this story.)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"alright, boys," you said one day in the car as you and your best friends were driving to one of the last days of high school, "it's the last week. what are we doing before the fated day?"</p><p>your best friend, ally yumigal, has been by your side for the six years, when the two of you met in sixth grade after she transferred to your school. </p><p>george davidson had come into your life by moving into the house next to you. the history behind the two of you was embarrassing, so you rarely talked about it, but that didn't stop you from thinking about it often. </p><p>he used to like you when you first met, and you knew, but your cowardice made you never admit it even as he dropped the most obvious hints. you think at one point, he probably realized it would never happen, so he stopped. which is unfortunate for you, because at that point, you had started to harbor feelings for him. </p><p>you then met clay jenson early in your freshman year. he brought his best friend into the group, nick foster, where they met online. from that point on, the five of you had stuck together throughout the four years of high school. time passed by you, and now you were graduating with the people you cared about the most. </p><p>"you guys wanna go camping?" nick suggested in the front seat. </p><p>you and ally lightly groaned and george laughed between the two of you. "of course it's them who are reluctant to the idea."</p><p>clay, driving, contributed to the conversation. "it's been months, guys. besides, wasn't that supposed to be our tradition?"</p><p>"yes, but sleeping in a flimsy tent with three sweaty guys. i think i'll pass," you said.</p><p>"how about this? we get a cabin instead," george offered.</p><p>the rest of the group was quiet as you all thought over the idea. clay then pulled into the school parking lot and turned to the rest of you. "decision time when school ends." you all agreed and separated into your first periods.</p><p>ally caught up with you. "hey, y/n. i had a question."</p><p>"what's up?"</p><p>"you know george?"</p><p>you looked at her with a dead gaze, "of course i do. why?" you had a sinking feeling you knew why, anyway.</p><p>"well, i think i have feelings for him." you internally cursed. of course she did. fuck, when you were trying to gather courage to ask him out before it was too late. but you were a better friend than that. after all, she told you before you told anyone, so it was fair in all that was love and war.</p><p>with a wide smile, you expressed diluted excitement. "oh my god! ally, you have to do something about it!" the two of you traded ideas about how she would confess throughout first period, even while your heart sank to your stomach. </p><p>-</p><p>the five of you met up behind the school, at the large tree you all deemed as yours. </p><p>"so," clay said, "have we all made a decision?"</p><p>everyone glanced at each other with wondering looks, especially towards you and ally. you spoke up first, "i'll tolerate it, for only a weekend."</p><p>ally followed, catching your eye and winking. "only for a weekend." in first period, you decided on a plan that involved the cabin trip. if everything went to plan, then two of your best friends would be together, as they should be. </p><p>thinking about it more, you realized how much more of a fit ally and george were than him and you. ally's sweeter personality would be able to keep george thinking about other people's feelings and george already brings out the best in ally's humor. rather, you and him, it would include a lot of intense teasing where the line between friendship and love is blurred. you were happy for her, you really were. </p><p>the three boys clapped in triumph. "great, we're all in!" nick whooped and clay laughed. "we're going out!"</p><p>the rest of your last week in high school passed by, leaving you breathless by the time of your graduation. reality slipped from your grasp as you were adjusting your gown and gap, touching up on last-minute details of your hair and clothes. the tears of your parents on your skin was warm and shocked you, that you really were about to graduate.</p><p>in the car to your graduation, the scenery whizzed by you while you reminisced on the last four years. you thought about the dark periods you've gone through, the growth and lessons you experienced coming from it. you cringed on the moments that were not your proudest, but smiled at the bright times where you were glowing because of the pride you felt. your friends floated into your mind, allowing you to remember the times you felt as if you couldn't have made it without them. now, you were leaving the biggest transitional period with them right beside you, where they should be.</p><p>sooner than you expected, you arrived at the venue where your classmates were buzzing around with excitement. you spotted your friends near the edge and you joined up with them, bumping arms with nick who grinned at you. </p><p>"are you ready?" he leaned into you so you could hear him over everyone's chatter. </p><p>"i've been waiting for this day since i first entered this goddamn hell-hole," you whispered back. he threw his head back and laughed loudly. that was when you first realized how his laugh made you want to laugh out loud. so you did. the two of you laughed together while the three of your friends were left out of your conversation. </p><p>there was no time to explain, though. you had to take your seats to anticipate the start of the ceremony. this was it, high school was long gone. your gaze traveled to nick's face, who was concentrated at the speakers in front. you wondered silently to yourself, was he always this pretty?</p><p>-</p><p>after the ceremony was over, you bolted straight into your room to grab your suitcase. you shouted a quick goodbye to your parents as you ran out the front door, jumping into the back beside nick and ally.</p><p>"are we all ready to go?" george asked. he was sitting in the driver's seat, waiting for everyone to get settled. everyone hummed in affirmation and you started the drive to the cabin. </p><p>"hey ally," you hissed across nick, who looked at you with raised eyebrows. "give me your phone." </p><p>nick tried peering over your shoulder, but you smacked him, leaning against the car window and typing vigorously into the notes app. you needed to discuss what ally needed to do to confess to george, her best friend of three years. you had a good feeling about it, but you still wanted to be prepared.</p><p>without totally overanalyzing, you realized that you wanted them to succeed in place of you never taking your chance, which was sad because projecting your desires was not fair for them. so, you relaxed and instead allowed the tension to leave your body. you reassured yourself that everything would fall into place eventually.</p><p>when you handed ally's phone back to her, she quickly skimmed over it and gave you a thumbs-up. the plan was hopefully getting everyone on a hike, then splitting up to leave ally and george alone. it was simple, but she didn't want to go overboard and especially having the two other boys find out before george. </p><p>nick poked you. "hey, are you keeping secrets from me?" </p><p>"hell no, and even if i did, i would not tell you."</p><p>he clicked his tongue, then poked you again. "sure you wouldn't, even if i tickled you!" </p><p>you raised a hand immediately, prepared to smack him straight across the face. "we're in the car, nick, i will not hesitate to kick you. clay!" you yelled.</p><p>"can the both of you chill the fuck out? i cannot handle a long ass car ride with y/n's screeches burning through my ear drum. nick, don't be annoying," clay intervened. </p><p>you relaxed from your position and nick leaned away, narrowing his eyes at you. you stuck a tongue out. that's what you get, you mouthed.</p><p>just wait until we're at the cabin, he mouthed back.</p><p>an hour and a half later in the stuffy car, with nick's heavy head numbing your shoulder after falling asleep, you arrived at your destination safe and sound.</p><p>the cabin was relatively small, but it wasn't unbearable. trees surrounded the perimeter, the sun's rays highlighting the ground, covered in leaves and bark that crunched beneath your feet. the sound of rushing water filled the air as you grabbed your suitcases and entered the small cabin.</p><p>turns out, it was smaller than it looked, with only one bedroom and one bathroom, but the living room was the largest. the kitchen blended into the living room, but it had everything that was necessary, including the stove and the kitchen table. </p><p>"clay, you couldn't have gotten a bigger one?" you whined as you settled on the couch.</p><p>"i'm sorry, y/n," he rolled his eyes, "considering we just graduated high school with our broke asses, this was literally the best we could do."</p><p>ally giggled. "i don't mind it. it's adorable, i think."</p><p>"you like it because it's tiny, don't you," george snickered, which ally responded with a smack.</p><p>"i'm just wondering where we're gonna sleep," nick spoke up as he looked around the room. </p><p>clay gestured to the wide living room we were standing in. "y/n and ally can take the room, if you want. we'll be fine here."</p><p>george and nick started to whine in protest, but clay shut them up with firm looks. "fine, they can have the room," george accepted with a roll of his eyes.</p><p>"no no, i think it'll be fun if we all sleep here. i don't want our weekend to be spent without each other, even when we're sleeping," you said.</p><p>"then i call the bed!" nick shouted, but clay shut him down. </p><p>"we're all sleeping here, together, like the best friends we are," clay insisted. </p><p>it was already late afternoon when you got there, so you decided to explore the cabin a little more. by that meaning, you stayed in the kitchen, chomping away at the snacks you brought while the rest of your friends messed around.</p><p>"i want some of that," nick sang, grabbing the can of pringles from your hands. </p><p>"i was eating that," you said. </p><p>ally, george, and clay joined you at the table a minute later. "what should we do?"</p><p>you shrugged. "we could have a fire outside. just an idea," you said, snatching back the can from nick's hands with a glare.</p><p>"everyone down?" clay prompted.</p><p>-</p><p>outside, clay and nick cleaned the dusty fire pit while you, ally, and george went to gather wood. while you were in the left side of the trees, you heard their laughter mix together in the distance. you smiled to yourself, and you knew that they were going to be alright. glancing at the fire pit from a distance, you saw nick's figure around it. you wondered how it would feel if you held his hand, the warmth radiating from his body and his arms around you if he hugged you.</p><p>then you caught yourself. why were you getting these kinds of thoughts now? was it because george and ally were together now and you needed to project your romantic feelings onto someone new? how come it's nick and not clay?</p><p>your eyes fell onto clay's figure. you tried to think of a future with clay, but all you saw was him supporting you in every way a brother should. that's not fucking fair, why were you thinking about nick like that? you never did until now, and it confused the fuck out of you.</p><p>nick called out your name and your head shot up from looking at the ground. he walked over to you with a confused look. "bruh, why are you just standing in the trees, watching us, you stalker," he teased.</p><p>"idiot, there was a bug crawling up the tree, dumbass," you shot back. he rolled his eyes, but grabbed the logs from your hands anyway, and you walked beside him where clay saw the two of you.</p><p>"where's ally and george?" you shrugged, still in your thoughts. nick knocked on your head lightly, jokingly telling clay that you weren't even there either. he was right, you were stuck thinking about how his lips would feel on yours.</p><p>ally and george soon came back moments after and they got the fire started. it bloomed largely, its flames licking upon the wood and its heat lightly burning your skin. it was dark at the time, the fire being the only source of light that helped you see the faces of your friends. </p><p>you were settled between nick and ally, who was sitting next to george and clay was on the other side of nick. you each took turns telling your favorite moments of high school, one including the time george broke both his arms trying to skateboard and nick was doubled over laughed. clay remembered the time where you threw up trying to rehearse a speech for a presentation, to which you loudly defended that it was food poisoning. ally talked about how everyone tried to sneak back into their houses after a party and had to laugh silently when george nearly fell out of his window. there was a moment where clay had attempted to ask out the person he liked, and it turned out she was into girls. you never let the moment go.</p><p>the laughter of you and your friends echoed through the trees, seeming like the sound would never end. it was getting colder and the fire was slowly dying, but you still felt the need to be in the present with them. you had the sense that no one wanted to move either. so, until the last dying crackle of the wood, you stayed with your friends, with the thought of nick beside you never leaving.</p><p>-</p><p>the next morning, you were up before noon. "okay guys, we're going hiking!" you said as everyone gathered in the kitchen. you had premade oatmeal waiting for everyone and was already half way done with yours just as nick was coming out of the bathroom with his hair messy.</p><p>"i forget how much of a morning person you're not," you laughed at nick's appearance, making him growl at you.</p><p>"a morning hike will be good, and i wouldn't even consider it a hike. it would be a long walk to a great destination. there's a waterfall and lake around here somewhere. let's go swimming!" you encouraged.</p><p>clay easily agreed, ally was more than eager, but george and nick were harder to convince. "don't be lazy, we're in the outdoors, guys. plus, swimming would be included at the end." george finally agreed, but there was nick was definitely taking his time in eating. he swallowed, glanced at your faces, then finally said yes. </p><p>by one in the afternoon, the five of you set to start the walk. you, clay, and nick were ahead while george and ally stayed behind. you could hear their quiet laughter behind you and you smiled behind your hand. </p><p>"hey guys! i'm gonna wait for ally, she's tying her shoe. we'll just meet you there!" george shouted at you. the three of you turned around and waved by, continuing on. </p><p>"they're gonna fuck," nick said after walking a couple yards away from them. you stopped in the middle of the path and gaped at nick, who had a sick smile on his face. "it's true. it was obvious."</p><p>"how did you know?"</p><p>clay interrupted, "it was so obvious, y/n, how did you not know we knew? george was fucking obvious."</p><p>"ally wasn't as obvious, but your behavior just confirmed our suspicions. we thought it was only a matter of time until someone declared their love," nick explained dramatically at the end of his sentence.</p><p>well, that explained a lot. you continued along the path in silence, the sound of water rushing growing louder as was your excitement. </p><p>the lake soon appeared in front of you a couple feet later, its still waters reflecting the sun's rays. the small waterfall was pouring water on the left side of the landscape. the various flora decorated the perimeter of the round lake, absolutely astonishing you.</p><p>"this is fucking beautiful," you breathed out, walking closer to the edge of the lake. clay and nick followed after you, who were also reveling in their silent awe. you spent a couple moments taking in the glowing scenery around you, until nick started to shout out.</p><p>"let's get to swimming, bitches!" he took off his shirt and jogged closer to the edge of the lake. clay copied nick, while you removed your top and shorts to reveal your swimming suit. you and your friends waited at the edge, slowly creeping closer to touching the cold water of the lake.</p><p>"fuck it!" nick yelled, picking you up quickly without you being able to defend yourself and threw you into the deeper end of the lake. your screams were drowned out by the waves of water entering your mouth. </p><p>you resurfaced and saw nick laughing a couple feet away at your sputtering face. clay waded in a little, his calves submerged in the water. </p><p>"jesus fuck, nick, i hate you," you swam closer to him until you were floating in front of him. he only snickered at you and started to walk towards the land again, but you were quick to jump on his back and wrestle him into the water with you.</p><p>the two of you burst up from the water, gathering air. nick glared at you, his teeth chattering. at that moment, george and ally chose to appear at the scene. </p><p>"what the fuck is going on?" george exclaimed when seeing clay wheezing near the land while you and nick were drenched in cold lake water. </p><p>"nick was being an asshole," you grumbled, while nick started to laugh once again. the curiosity of what happened bubbled inside your stomach, but you suppressed it for later. "come in, guys, it's not so bad after a while."</p><p>soon, everyone was in the lake, gently swimming, while nick attempted to splash you as you floated. "fuck you," you groaned, splashing back. he only giggled, which you realized that you wanted to hear once again.</p><p>everyone had been talking with each other, until the fated question was asked. </p><p>"so, did you guys fuck?" clay asked.</p><p>george's eyes widened and ally's cheeks flushed pink. </p><p>"clay, shut the fuck up," you said. "you don't need to answer that. just, tell us what you feel like," you encouraged, because you were curious. </p><p>"well, as you may know, ally told me she liked me, and i do, too, so we decided to try it out, even if we're going to different colleges. thankfully, they're not so far," george said.</p><p>fuck, you forgot about college. as clay and nick expressed their happiness for your other friends, you were thinking about how far you and nick would be. if he's going back to texas, and you're going to new york, then that wouldn't be so bad, is it? a couple hours flight, possibly.</p><p>wait a minute, why were you thinking about this? nick pinched your arm underwater. "say congrats, y/n. god, you're always in space or something!"</p><p>you pasted a smile immediately on your face and you quickly spit back a remark.</p><p>"i'm happy for the both of you, but now we're all fucking third wheels."</p><p>george and ally both protested, shouting it's not true, but it just made you groan. "ugh, and now you're the perfect couple. nick, clay, get them out of here." you swam away dramatically and nick swam after you.</p><p>"imagine dating, yuck," you said with a smile that clearly said you were joking. he went along with you, crumpling his face in a disgusted look. "can't fucking relate."</p><p>you and nick floated in the middle of the lake, staring at each other and you couldn't help but notice the depth in his eyes, the kind of deep that hid the back story of one of your best friends. "hey," he said, his voice deep and resonating within, "wanna jump off the waterfall?"</p><p>"you're fucking crazy," you scoffed, attempting to swim away, but nick grabbed your wrist under water, his eyes pleading. </p><p>"just once please, i don't wanna ask anyone else."</p><p>jesus, you can't say no to him.</p><p>"okay, whatever bitch, race ya." you twisted your wrist out of his grasp and started to swim back to the land to the edge of the waterfall. nick appeared behind you, his presence heavy behind you. </p><p>"go up," he said, gesturing to the premade path up the tiny hill. </p><p>you climbed up first and nick met you up there. it was higher than you expected, the dark blue of the water below you. the water rushing made it difficult to hear nick, but you could tell that he wanted you to go first.</p><p>definitely not, he was the one who wanted you to do with him. you firmly shook your head and fell behind him, waving your hands in front of you. you could see the wide smiles of your friends, floating in the lake, waiting for you to jump.</p><p>"fucking jump, nick!" you shouted over the noise. </p><p>"fuck, alright!" he backed up a bit, his arm nearly touching you, then bolted over the edge. you watched him disappear over the edge and a splash after him jumping. you saw the ripple of his jump and finally, his head popping out of the water. he waved at you, shooting you a thumbs-up, letting you know that he was alright.</p><p>here i fucking go, you thought. you copied what nick did earlier, then took a leap of faith to jump off the cliff with the water rushing loudly. your scream was drawn out, but stopped abruptly when you hit the water, the coldness shocking your body once again.</p><p>nick swam up next to you, his arms surrounding you. "you good?" he asked, a smug smile on his face. </p><p>"i'm good," you responded back with chattering teeth.</p><p>"that's our sign that we should be going, anyway," clay announced, already swimming back to land. nick, still staying close to you, guided the two of you back while george and ally swam ahead.</p><p>there were no towels, so you walked back to the cabin in squishy flip flops and clothing sticking to your damp bodies. you were all huddled in a group, attempting to share body heat on the way back.</p><p>after taking turns in the bathroom, everyone was changed in comfortable clothes and chilling in the living room. you were the last one out, dressed in sweatpants and a large tee-shirt, finding george and ally on the floor, clay on the single chair, and nick in the kitchen.</p><p>"movie?" you said, sitting on the couch. nick rushed to sit next to you, while everyone stayed in their place. you adjusted the laptop in the front of the room and put on the movie to play for the next hour and a half. </p><p>you and nick sat close together on the couch, the distance between you seemingly becoming smaller as the movie continued to play. his arm was over your shoulder and his leg was draped comfortably over yours. soon, the movie came to an end by the time it was nearing midnight.</p><p>"night two is complete. one more night to go," you yawned, shutting the laptop and settling back down in your place next to nick.</p><p>"who knew swimming was actually tiring," george commented, fluffing up the pillows for both him and ally, who came back with blankets for everyone. you had organized the sleeping arrangement: george and ally, the new found more than friends, slept on the floor. clay wanted to sleep closer to the heater and nick wanted to sleep on the couch because the bed wasn't an option, but you were stubborn and fought to sleep there, too. </p><p>"y/n, nick! can you please just figure it out? we're trying to sleep here," ally complained, already half asleep.</p><p>"just let me sleep on the couch, you fucker. what happened to chivalry," you angrily whispered.</p><p>"bitch, i was here first and you know i wanted to sleep on the bed, but that's not happening, is it?" he said under his breath.</p><p>"fucking hell, let's just both sleep on the couch," you finally said. you realized what you suggested, but you were hoping he didn't think anything weird, but you were relieved when he reluctantly agreed to your compromise.</p><p>the couch wasn't small, but it wasn't big either, considering the space nick takes with his height. you settled near the edge, your backs pressing against each other under the same blanket. after a couple minutes of adjusting to be comfortable, you heard nick's shallow breaths level out to a calmer pattern.</p><p>feeling his firm back behind you, it was soothing you in a way you haven't felt before. knowing that he was sleeping soundly beside you comforted you, especially because it meant that he trusted you. the maybes and what-ifs thoughts running through your mind kept you awake, but it was the presence of nick that eventually helped you to sleep. </p><p>-</p><p>"did you guys get a picture?" you heard clay's quiet voice ask.</p><p>you opened your eyes to see phone cameras in your face, and just waking up to that made you confused. "what the fuck, guys?" you tried to sit up, but a heavy weight was holding you down at the waist. you peeked under the blanket, and it was nick's arm holding you close. that's when you became aware of nick's front pressed behind you, his legs trapping you in his grasps and his arms around your waist and torso, making sure you didn't get away. the warm air of his breath fanned against your neck, throwing you off entirely.</p><p>thrown into a panic, you tried to untangle your limbs together, but nick was attached to you pretty well. if you were being honest, you didn't want to leave his lulling embrace, but considering you were being watched by your friends, you needed to get out.</p><p>finally, after minutes of struggling, you were able to escape from his grasp and fall onto the floor, where the cold air jolted you even more awake. "fuck, delete those." at this time, you were grateful nick was a deep sleeper.</p><p>"delete them!" you hissed at your friends as they snickered and jerked their phones away from you as you tried to grab at them. "you little pieces of shit!"</p><p>nick stirred on the couch, making all of you stop your actions. he didn't wake up, he only turned to face the back of the couch. </p><p>giving up, you sighed, sitting on the single chair. "just don't show nick."</p><p>george and ally left the room, laughing under their breath and clay crouched beside you as you were rubbing your temple.</p><p>"we were just teasing, but you alright?" </p><p>you breathed out. "yeah, hah, just overwhelmed. imagine seeing cameras pointed at you right when you wake up."</p><p>"yeah, but to be fair, you and nick looked like you were more than comfortable, almost like you were meant for each other."</p><p>you let a moment pass, then cringed at clay who laughed at you. "alright, maybe not that cheesy, but it's true. you both looked so relaxed, it was weird for the three of us to see nick vulnerable with you."</p><p>"yeah, whatever, just don't tell nick. i just know he would not let me live that down."</p><p>your main concern was making sure he knew you had no feelings for him, at all whatsoever. glancing at the sleeping man on the couch, you were afraid he was going to find out eventually.</p><p>nick didn't wake up until an hour later, which in that time, everyone was doing their own thing waiting for him. you spent that time thinking and wandering around the kitchen. </p><p>the feelings that appeared this weekend couldn't have come from just ally liking george and forcing you to like someone else. it wasn't forced at all, but maybe it was a gentle push because it was easy to lose the so-called feelings for george. another explanation could be that you were "liking" george as a way to ignore your feelings for nick.</p><p>you remembered the times where he had asked out other girls before and he confided in you the most for advice, so you watched every successful attempt and every successful relationship that bloomed from them. maybe you were just protecting yourself. it's been almost a year since his last relationship and two since your last serious relationship. you wondered where everything got messy.</p><p>nick joined you in the kitchen, patting you on the head. "good morning, piss hat."</p><p>"good morning, arsehole," you mimicked a british accent. you ignored the beating of your heart. </p><p>"so what's the plan for today?"</p><p>ally answered from the other room. "george and i were thinking that we could go for another walk."</p><p>"nah, fuck that, my legs are still sore from yesterday," you objected. "could we just chill and play board games or something?"</p><p>"i'm down if everyone is," nick said.</p><p>ally and george agreed and clay did, too, when he entered the living room.</p><p>"someone get the game of life, that's always interesting."</p><p>flashbacks to early high school, where you went to a party and they played the game of life, but with a twist: incorporating truth or truth within it. left you with humiliation that lasted for months. at that party, you vividly remember you and nick were there together and when they asked nick who he saw marrying, he most definitely looked away from you and said his current girlfriend at the time. but even then, you felt as if he wasn't completely honest that night.</p><p>the game was set up and everyone had determined their starting places. everyone but clay had chosen the college route, and he defended his choice by saying it was just a game.</p><p>the first question of the day was for george, asking how long had he liked ally. he said since sophomore year. that long and no move made? wow. the questions were asked to the player who was taking their term and it could've been on any topic of anything.</p><p>you continued to play, answering questions diligently, such as answering how you formulated the plan for ally to ask out george. clay answered his questions easily, like telling you with too much information when the last time he had sex was.</p><p>nick answered his questions, but one of them, administered by ally, asked him who he saw in his future. "all of you, duh."</p><p>expected, but george asked a follow-up on his next turn. "who do you want in your future, if you could only choose one of us?" </p><p>like that night at the party, he turned away from you and glanced at clay, putting him in a headlock. "this dude right here, been with me since i can remember." you couldn't lie, you were disappointed, but that was also expected, considering they came into your life at the same time.</p><p>ally glanced at you and frowned. obviously, she expected something different, but you knew nick, meaning you also knew that he wasn't exactly being truthful in his words either.</p><p>after that question, you only played for half an hour longer when clay reached the center of the board. </p><p>"gg, or whatever," you mumbled, leaning back against your chair. everyone else expressed the same distaste for clay winning, knowing he would probably flaunt it for the rest of the day.</p><p>it was almost three in the afternoon, so you continued your streak of board games with multiple rounds of uno, one long round of monolopy, and even a round of clue, which confused the hell out of you.</p><p>by the time you finished, it was dinner time. "y/n is cooking tonight," nick called out, standing up from his spot to stretch. </p><p>"no bitch, if i'm cooking, then you're helping."</p><p>"it's not that hard," he whined, "it's boxed macaroni and cheese."</p><p>"then do the dishes afterward!"</p><p>nick, george, and ally left the two of you to bicker, until you decided that he would help, but at the least helpful level he could. in the kitchen, he sat at the table as you were at the stove, watching the water boil so you could put the macaroni in.</p><p>behind you, you could feel nick watching you, making you conscious of your sweatpants and over-sized t-shirt.</p><p>"how did you sleep last night?" nick asked out of the blue.</p><p>you tensed up, but immediately relaxed before he noticed. "i slept alright. you slept better than i did, obviously because you slept in until like what, afternoon?"</p><p>"i did sleep pretty good. i had a dream that a bear was hugging me, and it would not let go. to me, it was crazy because you know i don't like prolonged hugs." he spoke in a tone that told you he knew exactly what you didn't want him to know.</p><p>you said nothing, continuing to stir in the macaroni while nick sighed behind you. you heard him squirm in his chair, then watched in the corner of your eye as he left the kitchen. alone, you moved in silence to finish up the dinner.</p><p>at around half past seven, you called the rest of your friends to eat stove cooked macaroni and cheese and almost stale bread. </p><p>"looks amazing, y/n," ally commented, taking her seat. the boys followed in after her and started to pick food onto their plates. sapnap sat on the opposite side of you, him sitting across from you. </p><p>throughout dinner, you've avoided eye contact, but the feeling of someone's eyes on you the entire time never left. you sensed that nick knew of your comprisable position in the morning, but you also sensed the presence of something else. that unknown something else scared you shitless. it was inevitable that the two of you were going to have to address it, but you were determined to avoid that conversation for as long as you could.</p><p>after dinner, nick stayed behind to do the dishes and you took that as your chance to slip out. you were already asleep on the floor beside ally by the time nick settled into his space on the couch. not actually being asleep, you slowly moved from the floor to sit up.</p><p>you looked around the dark cabin, your eyes falling to nick's sleeping form on the couch. fuck, what were you supposed to do? was it even necessary to talk about it? see, if you were to talk about it, you would probably attempt to brush it off while nick would consistently push you to an inevitable confession of feelings you're not even sure about. </p><p>you stared at him for a couple more moments, then tried to go back to sleep. after all, it was the last night.</p><p>-</p><p>"the last morning!" george announced loudly, waking you and nick up at the same time. "you both are such sleepy heads."</p><p>"and what about it?" you grumbled, clutching your blanket tighter. </p><p>"we've got to get going. it's almost noon," clay said, clapping his hands together with no regard for you and nick stirring on the couch.</p><p>you got up, struggling just a little bit, then packed up your clothes and hygiene products by the time nick woke up with blinking eyes. "time to go, sleeping beauty. get your stuff ready. just grab a cup of coffee and you'll be good to go," you said, tapping him on the shoulder as you exited the bathroom and he came in looking confused.</p><p>as soon as nick got in the back next to you, ally started the car and george was sitting beside her, meaning clay was on the left of you while nick was sitting on your right, pressed up against you.</p><p>it was only a few minutes into your journey when you glanced at nick for a quick second to see his head bobbing with his eyes closed. "hey," you whispered, "you can lay on me, it's alright." he opened his eyes for a quick moment, looked at you, then lied his head on your lap, adjusting so he could get comfortable.</p><p>clay looked at you with eyes that said, "really?" just friends, you thought, you were being a good friend, that's all. you kept your reassurance to yourself.</p><p>with nick's head in your lap, you allowed yourself to lightly graze your fingers over his hair, but not too much as not to wake him up. he looked so peaceful and you could understand how your friends thought he looked the most comfortable when sleeping with you. you didn't mind his sleeping form on you, seeing him be at his most vulnerable state with you.</p><p>you thought back to your conversation in the kitchen, remembering that he wasn't the best in physical contact, yet he was still here, sleeping peacefully with you. you distracted yourself from the boy's head in your lap by looking out the window, checking pointless posts on your social medias, and talking to clay, who was pushing you to talk to him and tell him your feelings.</p><p>it wasn't that easy, you defended, after being years of close friends and avoiding such feelings as you discovered through self-reflection. but he was right, as always. you had to tell him some point, and you weren't a person to put shit off.</p><p>you stopped a little while later to eat a late brunch, gently waking up nick on your lap. you didn't wait for nick to get out of the car, who was still reeling from his car nap. you followed after your three friends who went ahead, but nick called out to you with a clear rasp in his voice.</p><p>"y/n." the way your name dropped out of his mouth sent waves through your body. "you're acting different," was all he said.</p><p>he stood towered over you, trying to get you to look at him, but the ground was much more enticing than the boy in front of you. "i have no idea what you mean." playing it dumb won't work, you know that y/n.</p><p>"really?"</p><p>"fine whatever, nick. what does it matter to you anyway? we're fine, aren't we? i let you sleep on my lap, like normal."</p><p>"yeah, sure, i'll admit that, but don't think i haven't missed the way you look at me, or the way you hesitate to recoil whenever we are in any kind of close proximity. what's really going on, y/n?</p><p>"one moment, we're teasing each other again, then the next i feel like we can't be in the same room?"</p><p>you cut him off before he further talked about your torturously obvious behavior. "i get it. alright, nick, let me be honest." a deep breath and closing your eyes would help you choke the words out of your mouth. </p><p>"i like you, for some odd reason. after all these years. now, that's over, can we go?" you opened your eyes, grimaced after seeing nick's face, then turned on your heel to hopefully escape the painful situation. </p><p>unfortunately, you didn't get very far as nick grabbed onto your wrist to pull you back towards him.</p><p>"you can't just say shit like that and try to walk away, goddamn, y/n!" he taps his forehead in frustration, letting out a long exhale.</p><p>"alright, we can't figure this out in five minutes, they're going to wonder what's happening," nick said a moment later, his voice softer.</p><p>yeah, right. you walked to the restaurant with nick shuffling behind you. knowing if he feels the same will have to wait.</p><p>but should you really have to wait?</p><p>you stopped in the middle of your walking, nick bumping into you behind you. you turned around sharply and jabbed a finger into his chest. </p><p>"you bitch, tell me right now if you like me in that way, because i refuse to eat a great breakfast with my friends while pretending as if total anxiety wasn't taking over my heart." the glare in your eyes was lethal as nick started to shift from foot to foot.</p><p>it was his turn to take in a large breath, slight anger slowly making its way into his eyes. "okay then, motherfucker, you wanna know what? i do like you in that way, i've loved you since sophomore year, when you were there during my family life." there was fire in nick's eyes, him stepping closer to you with every word.</p><p>"fucking bitch, nick," you whispered into his ear because he was that close. his hand found its way across your waist, drawing you closer, your hand on the back of his neck. the tension was strong and to those who were looking at the two of you were wondering why you chose to be affectionate in front of a denny's.</p><p>you couldn't resist any longer. squeezing on the back of his neck, you looked at his lips for permission, and in response, his hand rested on the small of your back. </p><p>when your lips touched, the tension melted away and so did the rest of your surroundings. his hands on your body intensified the moment, your body heat shared between the two of you. this was the kiss you didn't know you were waiting for.</p><p>you both pulled away, cheeks red from the intimate moment you just experience for the first time. </p><p>"we should really go in," you repeated quietly. </p><p>nick only nodded, but when you turned to open the door, the three of your friends were watching you through the glass door of the restaurant with their mouths open.</p><p>"oh, fuck."</p><p>-</p><p>in the car, the silence was loud. nick sat beside you and he looked at you in the corner of his eye, his eyes asking wildly, what the fuck was going on. </p><p>you poked clay beside you, who turned his head eerily slow to look at you. a second later, his face twisted and his mouth opened to let out yells</p><p>"i fucking told you all, what did i fucking say?" his volume was too large for the car, you covered your ears.</p><p>george yelled from the driver seat's, "i told you before hand!"</p><p>"yours was a guess, i had evidence for it!"</p><p>ally glanced at you from passenger seat. "i had no idea at all."</p><p>nick tapped on your knee. "what the fuck did we just start?"</p><p>george and clay were shouting at each other, probably about the bets they placed on when nick and you would get together. meanwhile, ally plugged in her headphones to drown out the loud atmosphere.</p><p>"now, i'm the fucking fifth wheel because all of you decided to start dating each other as soon as we're out of high school!" clay complained.</p><p>"it's not our fault you're just lonely!" george shouted back.</p><p>nick, beside you, effortlessly took your hand in his, leaning against the window. your head rested against his bicep, ignoring your friends' banter about your relationship with nick.</p><p>you let the sounds fall around you, allowing you to rest comfortably with nick. though things weren't exactly crystal clear, you knew that you and nick would figure this out eventually with time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. the beginning of the end</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>georgenotfound ; where the moment you were dreading happened in the span of a day.</p><p>warnings: breakingup!au, angst</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"please look at me," you said, voice raspy because of the previous hour of crying. </p><p>despite your hand caressing his, george's eyes focused on the space of the couch between you. the longer he stared and stayed silent, the more you felt your heart physically breaking. </p><p>"please," you repeated.</p><p>his gaze never moved from the spot on the couch, but he finally spoke for the first time in the last half hour. "you can't just say shit like that and expect me to be okay, y/n." the lack of loving emotion in his voice scared you. the only time you've heard his voice devoid of such warmth was when he found out his best friend had cheated on his sister. </p><p>"george, i'm sorry, i couldn't do it before-"</p><p>"shut the fuck up, y/n. you decided to wait until the last minute to break up with me and to tell me? you're fucking leaving in two hours. you're quite literally leaving me with no choice," he cut you off, ripping his hand underneath from yours.</p><p>you couldn't say anything in defense, because that was exactly what happened. in two hours, you were jetting to the other side of the world, to new york because you decided to take the opportunity to teach at your dream school, without george.</p><p>you and george had been dating since you first met in london on a school trip. he was a grade above you, but he had heard of you through your written articles of your school's newspaper. you had heard of him because he was insanely attractive and everyone had a crush on him. </p><p>it was a miracle he fell for your intellect because he had so many attractive girls and boys that fawned over him, but nonetheless you were grateful he chose you in the long run. the three years of you dating had been a dream, the both of you falling fast and falling hard at the beginning and creating memories that were irreplaceable to you.</p><p>you moved in together after he graduated, met each other's families, and went through together. you matured beside each other, watching each other go through the harshest losses and reach our greatest achievements. george has been there for you when your mother died, and you were there for him when his parents divorced. </p><p>fast forward three years later, and you're here. on the couch of your shared apartment, where you were breaking up with him and moving to new york, across the world. the love you had for him would never run out, you knew that, but you knew in your heart that this was necessary.</p><p>you left no room for choice for george. you already had your bags packed and were leaving in two hours, knowing george wasn't going to come with you because his work was here and so was the rest of his life. this, too, was necessary, leaving everything you loved behind for your future. in your mind, you doubted for a moment, if it was worth it. </p><p>"i love you so much, george, you know that. but i think that we both know we need more than what we have right now. i hate doing this considering the circumstances, but i knew that if i told you any other day, i would've never left," you said, voice quiet, wondering if explaining was doing more damage than good.</p><p>george's eyes looked around the room, not once landing you. you could feel the both of you wanting to grab onto the other and never let go, but you resisted, your hands twitching in your lap.</p><p>a couple more beats of silence, then george said, "i really wish you didn't do this, y/n." his voice nearly cracked at the end when his eyes finally connected with yours. you tried to hold onto his gaze for as long as you could, but he broke away first, eyes now glancing up at the ceiling.</p><p>you pinched your thigh as hard as you could to keep yourself from yelling out that you took back everything you said in the last hour. </p><p>"goddamn, y/n! i really wanted it to be you and me until the end!" he stood up, throwing his hands in the air, anger now seeping into his voice. </p><p>"you think i didn't want it to be me and you either?" you yelled back, standing up to match him. </p><p>"you're leaving in an hour and a half, there's nothing i or you can do!"</p><p>"fucking hell, george, please don't make this harder than it has to be," you cried out, falling back into the couch and curling into a pillow. you allowed the tears to run free once again, already feeling your voice start to give way. </p><p>you felt george's presence in the dip of the couch beside you. "y/n," he said in the same voice that he used to say your name when you went out on dates around friends. "baby," the nickname elicited shivers through your body. </p><p>george's arms twisted around your curled figure, drawing you close to his chest. "you have time to cry, but you need to get going soon."</p><p>you continued to cry, the pillow covering your face now darkened with tears, while george continued to hum along to the song you danced to in the rain, rubbing his hand across your back. </p><p>this was routine, whenever you were in distress, he would be as close to you as he possibly could, not saying much, only humming because he knew how much you loved to hear him sing. for him, whenever he got stressed, you gave him space, but stayed in the same room as him until he was ready to crawl into your arms. you worked just like that. it's truly a shame you're leaving it all behind.</p><p>george let you cry for the next ten minutes, until your voice lost volume, your hiccups being the only sound coming from you. you pulled the pillow away from your face, adjusting yourself so you leaned on his chest and his hand rested on your thigh. </p><p>"you've got an hour left, my love," he whispered. you know you do, you just didn't want to leave. why you were still going through with it, you weren't sure. </p><p>you stayed motionless on the couch, the time slipping by you slowly. when you eventually moved, he helped you gather my bags, put them in the car, and drove you to the airport. he kept your hand in his the entire time, guiding you to the door, glancing at you in the car to check if you were going to break down again. this man loved you and here you were, leaving. </p><p>the flight was leaving in fifteen minutes, yet you were fighting to stay by george's side while the minutes counted down. he tried to encourage you to start lining up.</p><p>"baby, you have to go. everything will be alright here, i'll be okay," he said, cupping your face in both his hands and wiping at the tears on your face. you didn't speak, only wrapping your arms around him and taking in his scent for the last time. the pet name you would never be called by him again cut even deeper wounds in you.</p><p>"i'll always love you, y/n."</p><p>five minutes, the announcement rang through the airport. george pried your body from his, and you could see the tears starting to form in his eyes. this would be the first time he's crying since today and the start of the fateful talk that led to this moment. </p><p>he held both of your hands in his, biting his lip to keep from crying out and looked back up at you, his eyes glistening. he said nothing more, though you could tell he wanted to, turning on his heel and walking away from you, his pinky grazing your hand for the last time, leaving your hands burning for his touch once again.</p><p>only, you weren't ready to go just yet. you rushed to catch up to him, turning him to face you once again and kissed his lips once again. surprised at first, he melted into you in a matter of moments. your tears mixed together on your cheeks, falling in between your lips. you grimaced as you pulled away, the announcement ringing a two minute warning. a quiet "i love you" whispered underneath your breath and a gasp of pain from him. before hearing anything else more, you turned your back towards him, grabbing your suitcases then boarding the plane without looking back. you couldn't see him, but you knew he was crying, walking back to the car.</p><p>you let myself cry again, sitting on the plane alone without george.</p><p>- three years later</p><p>being back in london was a fever dream. three years previously, you had left george without keeping contact with him. it wasn't done on purpose, you just became too busy to contact him and by the time you became settled two weeks later, you used the excuse that it was too late to try to call him.</p><p>the reason you were back, to put simply, was because you missed your life in london, more specifically, george. you had quit your job and hoped for a new start back in london, or possibly, save what had been lost in the last three years.</p><p>you couldn't help but think about what has changed in the last three years since you last saw george. has he moved on? dating someone new? how's his work, knowing he hated his job. did he still laugh the same? so many unanswered questions, but you weren't even sure if you were going to get any answers. there was no plan to see him, at least on your part. </p><p>imagine your surprise when george showed up at the door of your hotel room the first night you came back to london. eternity seemed to stretch between the two of you as he stood in front of you, panting and forehead shining with sweat. you, on the other hand, taken completely by shock, froze with your hand tightly gripping the door handle and mouth dropped open.</p><p>george moved towards you in a rash manner, pushing past the slightly open door and gathering you in his arms. still in shock, your arms stay limp at your side, hearing george's quiet sobs in the crook of your shoulder. not soon after, your arms found their place around him and tears involuntarily started to fall.</p><p>"y/n," he quietly said, his breath hot against the skin of your neck. "i missed you so much."</p><p>what was running through your head was a number of things: how did he know i was here? are we okay? did he know how much i missed him, too?</p><p>the two of you stood at the front of your hotel room, arms tangled within one another and tears dampening each other's clothes. touching his real body was surreal, wondering if he realized that this was all you were craving the entire time you were gone.</p><p>"how did you find me?" you mumbled a moment later, pulling away to look into his eyes, the very eyes that used to hold the most love you've seen in another human being when looking at you. his eyes searched in yours, for the love that you've been holding on to since you first left years ago.</p><p>you led him to the couch, where you sat to be more comfortable and talk everything out. your hands stayed intertwined throughout the entire conversation.</p><p>"i heard from your brother you were heading back, so i waited."</p><p>that explained how he found you, but there were many pressing questions you needed to hear the answers to. he readily answered them and you did the same.</p><p>you breathed out a sigh of relief when he told you he hadn't gotten into any serious relationships after you left, though he admitted he did try.</p><p>he said with the sweetest smile on his face, "no one compared to you." at that moment, your heart threatened to beat out of your chest. </p><p>you admitted that you didn't even try to find anyone else, because george took over every corner of your mind. </p><p>in terms of work, george was disappointed to hear that you quit solely because you missed him, but you were glad that he had gathered promotions within his line of work, which you always knew he would.</p><p>"i'm still in the same apartment, you know? you can always come back. after all, it's your home, too."</p><p>you bit your lip in thought. "is that a really good idea? don't misunderstand me, george, but i just came back, and it's so overwhelming to see you again and i'm still trying to adjust here," you rapidly doubled back when you noticed his expression fall.</p><p>"no, i understand. i just want you to know that i'll always be here when you're ready again. call me selfish, but i only really care about you."</p><p>the tears started to fall again, every emotion coming back to you. the memories you missed making with him in the time you've gone, the number of "what if's" running through your head. </p><p>george tugged on your hand, causing you to fall easily into his embrace. his arms fell around your body instinctually and your head nuzzled into his chest like old habits. </p><p>for the rest of the night, the two of you laid on the bed, entranced within each other's presence and catching up on the turn of events that had happened in the absence of the other. </p><p>you didn't bother to think about what would've happened if you saw george with another romantic partner, moving onto his life without you. but nonetheless, it was him and you in the end.  </p><p>the next morning, you woke up in a daze, confused as to where you were. alone, in your hotel room, tsunamis of despair and rage rushed through you as the realization settled within you.</p><p>george was never here.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. angel vs devil</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>georgenotfound and dreamwastaken ; where the angel and devil on your shoulder fight for your love. however, it's much more complicated than that.</p>
<p>warnings: lovetriangle!au, supernaturalbeings!au, fluff</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>the clock beeped exactly three am when you opened your eyes, jolting awake in your bed. light from your laptop helped illuminate your way as you stumbled to the bathroom, legs still slightly asleep. washing your face with cold water and shaking hands, you allowed yourself time to reel from the all-too real dream you just had. </p>
<p>similar to your previous dreams, you were at school, except your friends weren't there. instead, in their place, a devil played on your right shoulder while an angel whispered sweet words on your other shoulder.</p>
<p>they weren't an ordinary pair of angel and devil, you quickly realized. these two were hyper aware of each other's presence and made sure you knew it, too. </p>
<p>"she would never love you- you're too goddamn soft!" the devil spit out.</p>
<p>the angel only laughed. "as if she would fall for a heartless son of a bitch like you."</p>
<p>you continued with the rest of your school day, while the two of them relentlessly fought back and forth over your, forcing you to hear their conversations about you as if you weren't there. it became apparent that their intention was not to fight each other, but rather fight each other for you.</p>
<p>"y/n was destined to be mine," the angel said.</p>
<p>"destiny is a real bitch, and i would know. i've met her before," said the devil.</p>
<p>at one point, it became all too real and overwhelming. that's when you woke up at exactly three in the early morning. the dream became too much to handle at that point. you've got a full day of school tomorrow, meaning you needed all the sleep you could get.</p>
<p>after drying off your face, you slipped under your covers and closed your eyes, hoping that you would easily fall asleep and this time, with no tiny angel or devil fighting over you.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>your friends greeted you as you approached them in the front of the school before the first bell rang. "did you know we're getting transfer students today?" one of them informed you.</p>
<p>you were most definitely not aware, but before you could ask for more information, the bell had rung, signaling you had to get to your first period. on your way to your first class, you passed by a tall dirty blonde boy who you swore looked exactly like the devil in your dream last night. you tried to sneak back another glance, but he was already down the hallway before you could.</p>
<p>while in class, that boy you passed would not leave your head. you would never admit to anyone, but there was some kind of spiritual connection between you two, but you couldn't verify it, especially because he didn't meet your eyes at least once. safe to say that morning, your focus was on something else.</p>
<p>as you made your way to your next class, a pale brunette boy brushed by you in the doorway. a double take followed, but all you could catch was the back of his head. what a fucking coincidence, you thought in disbelief, taking your seat. he looked like the angel in my dream last night, you recalled. </p>
<p>both of them, the angel and the devil in your school? you couldn't wrap your mind around it, because one, it was a dream, and two, if they were supernatural beings, then how could they be in your physical school? that was something you couldn't possibly understand.</p>
<p>the questions and theories followed you all the way through lunch and even during lunch, as your friends tried to get you engaged in the conversation. </p>
<p>"the transfer students were kind of cute," they said, waving a hand in front of your face. </p>
<p>oh, right, the transfer students. your friends pointed them out, and to your surprise, two of them talked with each other in the back corner of the lunch room, throwing not-so-subtle glances at you. you recognized them as the two supernatural beings in your dream from the previous night and the two cute boys you passed this morning.</p>
<p>without thinking, you stood from your table and stomped your way over there, determined to get some answers.</p>
<p>"y/n," the tall boy said ominously with open arms, "we've been waiting."</p>
<p>"you're scaring them, clay," the paler boy chided, hitting the other boy's arms down.</p>
<p>"who the fuck are you?" you asked, sick of their games and ignoring the fact that they already knew your name.</p>
<p>"i'm george," the brunette said, "and this is clay," jutting his thumb to the taller guy beside him. "i'm sure you might've noticed, but we're here for you, y/n."</p>
<p>there he goes again, saying your name again with the butter voice that brought waves of delight through you. he smiled, as if knowing his effect on you.</p>
<p>clay, noticing, intervened. "well, whatever george, maybe they don't want to hear that. you could be overwhelming them, you don't know that." that threw the both of them into a conversation excluding you. you took that time to analyze their clothing choices.</p>
<p>george, the angel, was dressed baggy blue jeans and big red jumper that made you want to cuddle into his chest. clay, on the other hand, wore black jeans with numerous chains and graphic blue tee shirt, the look being complete with smudged eye liner underneath his eyes. the difference between the two of them was stark, like black and white. like, ironically, angel and devil.</p>
<p>suddenly, the two of them turned to you, making you jump.</p>
<p>"y/n, you've got to choose," george said with pleading eyes.</p>
<p>"choose? i barely know you!" you said, appalled at the thought of choosing between the two of them. you just met them, and the fact that they were supernatural beings brought even more incredulity. you do admit, however, that george and clay were cute.</p>
<p>"i know it must be a lot, but you have to at some point. it is fate," clay said with a bored voice and glaring at george.</p>
<p>you didn't have to answer, thankfully, because the bell rang. you scurried back to your lunch table, scooping your bag and rushing to your fifth period. not bothering looking back, you hoped they didn't follow you and to your relief, they didn't.</p>
<p>however, the relief didn't last long. when you entered your bedroom later that day, you found george and clay sitting on the edge of your bed, waiting patiently for you.</p>
<p>you shut the door quickly and hissed at them, "how did you get in here without anyone noticing?" </p>
<p>"we still have our abilities here. able to poof-" clay disappeared, "-then reappear." instead of reappearing on your bed, he appeared behind you, his breath on the back of your neck.</p>
<p>"fuck, i get it. you're supernatural. but what do you want with me?"</p>
<p>clay retook his spot on your bed, a devilish smirk on his face. "it's simple; we just want you."</p>
<p>"but, unfortunately, only one of us can have you. you can either rule the heavens or hell, but you can't rule both," george added, smiling at you with the brightest eyes.</p>
<p>you scoffed, "of course there's a catch." you sat down on the bed beside the boys, gaze switching from one to the other, wondering desperately how you got into this situation. </p>
<p>"alright, how much time do i have to choose? i would like to get to know you better before any set decisions." if you were going to choose, you needed time.</p>
<p>"by the end of this week," george said.</p>
<p>"oh, fuck," you groaned while clay laughed at your reaction. </p>
<p>"what will happen if i choose?" the questions you had were endless.</p>
<p>"when you choose," clay corrected, staring you down with a sarcastic smirk. "and you'll still be here, just ruling the heavens or hell with either of us. with the ability to go to both places, of course."</p>
<p>you breathed out heavily, thinking about your choices here. ultimately, you soon realized you didn't have one. "friday it is then. at least i can get to know each of you a little better."</p>
<p>george and clay seemed happy with your response. </p>
<p>"goodbye, y/n. i'll see you soon," george waved goodbye with a satisfied smile. </p>
<p>"until we meet again," clay faked bowing, then proceeded to wink as the two attractive boys disappeared out of your room, leaving you alone to your thoughts.</p>
<p>- tuesday -</p>
<p>at school, your friends pressed you for answers as to who and what the two cute guys wanted with you. for obvious reasons, you couldn't provide answers, only excuses when clay dragged you away from your friends after school. </p>
<p>"where the fuck are we going, clay? i've got homework." he was dressed in dark blue jeans and black long sleeve with layered necklaces decorating hiss neck. he pushed you into a bus and sat you down. while you weren't looking, you felt his nimble fingers touch the front of your jacket. you looked down, confused as to why a safety pin was on your jacket.</p>
<p>"that way, they'll know who you belong to," he proudly said, flicking your forehead gently. "look, i have one, too!" he showed the safety pin, you didn't even notice near the neck of his long sleeve. </p>
<p>"who is they?" you yelled out, the confusion not leaving you. he didn't respond, only shooting a knowing smile from the corner of his eye. </p>
<p>you sat in the bus seat beside clay quietly, watching as the scenery blurred pass outside the window for a while. nearly an hour later when the bus finally stopped, clay hurried you out to show you a spot in the forest where numerous of your classmates were already waiting.</p>
<p>they surrounded a large fire pit with already lively flames , waving you over to them excitedly. your confused eyes sought clay's for reassurance, but he only smiled. "it's time to have fun, y/n."</p>
<p>the two of you joined up your classmates, who handed you a drink that you accepted. the alcohol pumped through your system as you and clay went around, greeting everyone. the carelessness that came with the alcohol was new, but you welcomed it as clay encouraged this side of you. despite feeling reckless, safety was rooted inside you when clay was around.  </p>
<p>music blasted through the trees, the fire being the only light source as you and your friends danced around wildly without a care in the world. clay stayed beside you the entire time, staring down anyone who tried to get close to you. he danced with you, his hands flying around you with a triumph smile on his face.</p>
<p>he leaned in close, whispering in your ear, "wanna go somewhere?"</p>
<p>you giggled, taking his hand and following after him deeper into the forest leaving the loud atmosphere behind. the music faltered away as your hands stayed intertwined. in the darkness, you could see him glancing back at you in concern, but you were on top of the world with him right now.</p>
<p>eventually, the trees parted away to reveal a dirty sewer hole like you see in the movies. "fucking nasty, clay, why'd you bring me here?" the smell made you cringe.</p>
<p>"chill out." he brought out cans of spray paint from behind a tree and threw one to you. "let's make this place our bitch." </p>
<p>the alcohol wore off as you and clay sprayed your presence on the walls of the large sewer, marking your initial and his together in a corny heart. "this is so bad," you commented, laughing anyway.</p>
<p>"it doesn't matter, it's so worth it," clay said back with a smile and adding his finishing touch. just as you finished to step back and admire your art, the wails of police sirens overwhelmed the sounds of the quiet forest.</p>
<p>"run," clay whispered, reaching for your hand once again. the two of you ran through the forest, hearing the bearing footsteps of officers behind you. clay playfully threw up the middle finger to the darkness and you hissed profanities at him.</p>
<p>"you're so fucking dumb, just run!" you yelled, smacking the back of his jacket and he only cackled, which earned him another smack from you.</p>
<p>you ran for a couple more yards until you finally found yourself back at the abandoned party site. you and clay snuck around the clearing, successfully making it to the bus stop.</p>
<p>"motherfucker, how are we getting back home? it's like two in the morning, the bus isn't going to come." you were screwed if you weren't home in the morning. </p>
<p>"have you forgotten who i am?" clay asked, feigning playful hurt. a smirk appeared on his face, before cupping a hand behind your neck. "i can poof us in and out of here."</p>
<p>"but before we go-" he gently pulled you closer to him, your lips brushing against each other lightly and when you didn't run away in disgust, forcefully flushed your body against him.</p>
<p>your lips crashed together in a fiery moment, heat spreading through your body as you and clay blindly grabbed onto each other in the moonlight. being lost in the moment, you barely felt the rush of air around you. when you finally pulled away, you were back in your bedroom.</p>
<p>"motherfucker," you said, running a finger over your bruised lips and glaring at clay who smiled in smug happiness.</p>
<p>he placed a kiss on your forehead, before poofing out with a delightful smile. "goodnight, y/n." </p>
<p>- wednesday -</p>
<p>"where did you go, y/n?" your friends asked after school. again, you couldn't provide an answer, as george was whining in your ear to go home with him. you shot an apologetic look at your friends as you followed george to his car. this was looking bad, you knew.</p>
<p>you had no time to think about how others would see it as, so you rode in the car with george, who hummed through the drive back home. </p>
<p>"i'm assuming i'm spending the evening with you," you said, glancing at him.</p>
<p>he smiled back, "you assumed right. but don't worry, it won't be crazy like with the devil. it'll be fun!"</p>
<p>in your room, where you passed your parents with no suspicion, where george met you, dressed in a dark blue suit and hand out for you to take, if you were willing.</p>
<p>"would you do me the honors and go to the ball with me?"</p>
<p>ball? the blind trust was real between you, as you took his hand with no hesitation. you kept your eyes on him, the rush of air creating a bubble around you. when you looked away in the next second, you were in an extensive closet, with george now standing behind you.</p>
<p>he took the time to help you. you were in awe at the number of designer clothes for you to choose. the various colors surprised you, ranging from colors of the rainbow to colors you didn't even know the name of.</p>
<p>"bastard-amber?" you asked george unbelievingly.</p>
<p>he shrugged, laughing at your reaction. "here, this color would look amazing on you and would compliment me, too." he led you to a piece of clothing whose focal color was a deep red. something about it drew you to it, the fabric feeling just right underneath your fingertips. you looked at george with satisfied eyes.</p>
<p>once fit into the deep red piece of clothing, george took the liberty to do your hair. his hands were careful when dealing with the strands of your hair, running his hands deeply through your scalp in a calming way.</p>
<p>"you look absolutely ravishing," george said, turning you around to face a mirror. your appearance was unrecognizable, but in the best way possible. your hair was done in a completely different way, the clothes fit your body in the most perfect places and the smile on your face was beaming.</p>
<p>george's arms fell over your shoulders, holding you close to him. "you look even more ravishing than normal," george whispered in your ear. his hand trailed down your arm to catch your hand in his. with a secret smile, the familiar rush of air bellowed around you to expose a grand ballroom with many formally dressed guests already.</p>
<p>the ceiling was extensive, a glass chandelier and its shards reflecting light across the ballroom dance floor. the large windows revealed the wide-ranging greenery outside, tying the entire ballroom together. </p>
<p>"i take it that you like it," george smirked, his hand keeping its hold on yours. </p>
<p>you bantered back, "i like it very much, george."</p>
<p>"great." he moved his other hand down to your waist and yours rested on his upper back. </p>
<p>the two of you started to sweep across the dance floor, the heels of your shoes clicking and echoing through the ballroom. the music played softly in your ear as the two of you moved in sync. </p>
<p>serenity and calm filled your body, a dazed smile permanent on your face as you rested your face on his shoulder. the admiration for george stemmed from the pit of your stomach, blooming and reaching from the toes of your feet to the top of your head.</p>
<p>george danced with you as long as your feet allowed you to, until fatigue took over your body. you yawned, tapping george on the shoulder to let him know. he picked you up bridal style, making you feel safe enough to close your eyes, then when you reopened them again, you were back in your bedroom, dressed magically in your pajamas. you allowed him to tuck you into your bed, moving your hair out of your face and behind your ears.</p>
<p>"thank you for spending the evening with me, y/n," george softly said in your ear, sitting beside you in bed and playing with your hair. you only hummed tired deliria. </p>
<p>"i enjoyed today with you gogy," you said, the nickname leaving your lips easily. he quietly laughed at the nickname.</p>
<p>his fingertips traced shapes across the bare skin of your forearm. your eyes fluttered open to see him staring at you with all the admiration in the world. at that, george leaned his face closer to you, close where you could see the imperfect spots on his cheeks that seemed to be stars in your eyes.</p>
<p>he pressed a faint kiss on your lips, then kisses on your cheeks, forehead, and tip of your nose. a smile bloomed on your face and so did the warmth throughout your body. the fire spread slowly, from one tree branch to another, but made sure to touch every part of you.</p>
<p>the last thing you heard from george was quiet that echoed around your room. "sweetest dreams, y/n. i'll be waiting."</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>thursday</p>
<p>the events of the last two nights blurred together as one chaotic night filling your mind as hopes to focus in class was thrown out the door. your friends had given up on asking what happened to you, a look of cloudy haze on your face the entire day.</p>
<p>clay and george met you outside of the school, different expressions on their faces. a happy smile greeted you from george while clay sported a soft sneer mixed with a pout. "how did you sleep, y/n?" george asked, winking in reference to the night you spent with him.</p>
<p>"i slept great, george, thank you!" you played along, snickering at clay's deepening sneer. "what are you guys doing here? it's not friday, is it?"</p>
<p>"no, clay here just missed you," george said, nudging the sulking clay beside him.</p>
<p>you hummed in smugness. "i missed you, too, clay, don't worry," you said with a teasing pout, messing with his hair. "i'm hungry. are you guys, too?" </p>
<p>the two boys and you went to the nearest diner, where you found yourself squished between them in a booth. the waitress looked at you up and down, a smirk on her face as she took your order. red spotted on your cheeks as you realized what others' could be thinking.</p>
<p>as soon as she left, you smacked the both of them on the arm, forcing them to scoot farther from you. "finally some room to breathe," you grumpily muttered, fanning your face and taking sips of ice cold water.</p>
<p>"were you getting over heated?" clay muttered in a low voice, his face getting closer to you.</p>
<p>george's lips were close to your neck, breathing his hot breath on your already red skin, mumbling in agreement with what clay said. "i can feel your heat."</p>
<p>"shut the fuck up, both of you," you hit both of them once again, putting your face in your hands to ignore their laughing at your reaction. the three of you ate together at the diner, talking about your future when you do choose tomorrow.</p>
<p>"so," you said, mouth full of food, "do i choose in the morning or in the evening?"</p>
<p>"at midnight," george said easily. you didn't take the information as easily, though, choking on a mouthful of food. </p>
<p>"that leaves like six hours!" you shouted, glancing at the clock. "we gotta get home now." you stood up, only to be jerked down by clay's hand on your arm.</p>
<p>"chill, you have time, let's just eat."</p>
<p>- four hours until friday -</p>
<p>"who am i supposed to choose?" you were locked up in your room, a timer set on your laptop, large numbers pulsing on the screen. george and clay laid on your bed on their backs, staring at the ceiling and listening to you in your frantic state.</p>
<p>"listen to this bitch," clay groaned aloud, rolling onto his stomach.</p>
<p>george protested, "y/n is overwhelmed, cut them some slack." </p>
<p>"the obvious answer is me," clay shouted. </p>
<p>george refuted, shooting a firm glare at clay. "it doesn't matter who you choose, we just want you to be happy. right, clay?" clay rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway.</p>
<p>you took a deep breath. time was ticking down.</p>
<p>- three hours -</p>
<p>your positions changed, where the two boys waited on floor while you were covered in your bed sheets. throughout the while, the two nights you spent with each of them individually created pros and cons lists in your mind. </p>
<p>on one hand, heaven with george would be peaceful yet happiness would be surrounding you everywhere. you would never feel unloved or lonely, because george would be right around the corner to remind you that you were loved. sweet love would be never-ending there with george. </p>
<p>on the other hand, hell with clay would be non-stop action. there would be more times where reassurance is needed, but overall, clay would do his best to show you that he cared in his way. adventures with clay would be in your future.</p>
<p>- two hours -</p>
<p>in the last hour, you tried to analyze your choices on a deeper level, even more than last time. would clay love you when you were too tired to go on adventures? would george understand if you had no energy to give him the love he deserved?</p>
<p>you glanced at the two boys, playing rock-paper-scissors on the floor of your room. they were so pretty, you thought to yourself. </p>
<p>"hey," you called out to them. they turned their heads to you immediately. "can i still see the other when i choose?"</p>
<p>"i mean," george shared a surprised looked with clay, "sure, if you really wanted to."</p>
<p>- one hour -</p>
<p>the time on your computer screen beeped one hour. knowing time, that hour would disappear in the blink of an eye. </p>
<p>"i'll miss you both," you walked over to the two of them on your floor and wrapped your arms around them. "even if i'm staying with one of you." your decision was slowly starting to solidify in your mind as you sat beside them, the time ticking down on your laptop.</p>
<p>- friday, midnight -</p>
<p>george and clay stood in front of you, hands clasped together and apparent nervousness on their faces. your eyes scanned over the two of them, taking in their stark differences in appearances, yet the angelic and dark look of their auras. </p>
<p>george smiled at you, seemingly confident of your choice while clay was intensely staring you down with a smirk of arrogance. it was difficult to choose, but you had to.</p>
<p>you took a deep breath. "i choose you," pointing at...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>who would you choose? personally.. i couldn't choose.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. long flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>dreamwastaken ; where he's well-known and has to hide, but you live under a rock and you're just trying to go home.</p><p>warnings: airport!au, fluff</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>you huffed impatiently, taking a seat out of the number of vacant airplane seats. you've been sitting since three in the afternoon in the uncomfortable chairs, and now it was nearing midnight. a full nine hours, sitting idly and waiting for your flight, yet only being met with delay after delay. you weren't sure how long your numbing legs could take any more of inactivity. </p><p>you were simply trying to go home after a long semester of college life, and celebrate the holidays with your family, which you were looking forward to. the back-to-back delays were starting to get on your last nerve. the people around you throughout the day were able to get on their flight, leaving you alone aside from arriving families and a man around your age. </p><p>he sat across from you, a couple feet away. his attention was focused on his phone. he seemed to be scrolling on his phone, his hat rested lowly over his eyes and, exposing his bottom half of his face. his mouth was twisted in a thin smile.</p><p>you studied him from the toes of his scruffy shoes to the top of his hat. without warning, his head lifted to meet your eyes. striking green eyes met yours, shocking waves within you. curiosity piqued, but stared him down even further. his green eyes inquired you a question that you couldn't discern. you shrugged, no answer to his unsaid question. before you knew it, he stood up to walk towards you, taking the seat beside you without your permission.</p><p>"why are you staring?" his voice was smooth, a voice you could probably listen to without ever getting bored. dirty blond tufts of hair peeked out from underneath his hat. the lines of his jaw and cheeks jumped out when he smirked at you.</p><p>"you stared first," you defended, crossing your arms and pulling your bags closer to you, in case he would take any. </p><p>he scoffed, "okay, i know i'm a stranger, but i won't take anything. second of all, actually no, you stared first. i felt your eyes on me, hence why i'm here." he paused for a moment, studying at you with narrowed eyes, as if trying to figure you out. "do you recognize me?"</p><p>taken back by the forward question, you looked him up and down once again. he wore gray sweatpants and a white tee-shirt, with his packed bags next to him. nothing sparked recognition in you. "i have no idea who you are, should i though? have we met before?"</p><p>he barked out a loud laugh at your reaction. "no no, i was just wondering." he settled easily in his seat, leaning back and getting comfortable, all while you're sitting next to him. you glared, wondering why this stranger chose to get all buddy-buddy with you.</p><p>"by the way, i'm clay. nice to meet you," he glanced at you from the side, smirking at your scrunched up face. "you are?"</p><p>you thought over briefly the good and bad about telling this cute stranger your name. soon, you gave in. "y/n. despite these weird circumstances and your weirder personality, it's nice meeting you, too, i guess." </p><p>a silence fell over the two of you, the sounds of airport staff talking amongst themselves only filling the atmosphere.</p><p>"you really don't recognize me? my voice?" clay turned to you abruptly, with a slight look of curiosity on his face. </p><p>"am i supposed to or what? are you, like, a celebrity or something?" you were genuinely confused as to why he was pushing this topic so hard.</p><p>he let out another bark of laughter, its echo bouncing off the walls. "i just find it so funny that you don't. do you not go on youtube or social media a lot?"</p><p>you shrugged, "not really. i have much more pressing issues that need my attention, more than pointless social media posts who want to show off their life," you explained, "and if i am online, it's to check on my family and nothing more. why?"</p><p>"well, let's just say social media and the internet is my life, but that's besides the point," he waved a hand in the air and sat crissed-crossed, facing you. "let's talk. oh, come on," he groaned as you rolled your eyes, "we're both bored, it's almost one in the morning, and i doubt our flights are coming in any time soon."</p><p>sighing, you copied him and sat crissed-crossed, your knees touching his. "what do you want to know, clay?" his name slid off your tongue easily.</p><p>"where you headed?"</p><p>"north carolina, you?"</p><p>"you're shitting me," he said amusedly, a playful smile appearing on his face. "so am i! why?"</p><p>"family,  same thing with you?"</p><p>"nah," he said, "meeting up with friends. that's so interesting, no wonder we're both here."</p><p>"yeah," you agreed, finally feeling engaged in the conversation, "but now, i'm curious. why did you expect me to recognize you?"</p><p>"no reason. but anyway, you go to school?" he switched the topic to another, so you took the hint and went along with the flow.</p><p>the two of you talked as the hours dragged along. by three in the morning, your flight was ready to go. the airport company was profusely regretful about the delays and allowed you and clay to sit by each other as a compensation. you delightfully accepted, your heart beating with instigation at the thought of sitting that close in proximity with clay.</p><p>"sick! what's up, neighbor?" he said, knocking his fist against your shoulder as you got settled into your seats. </p><p>you rolled your eyes, but smiled in silly glee anyway. in the last two hours or so, you and clay conversed, leading you to learn about the weirdest facts about this boy you had just met. his friends he was going to see, this would be his first time meeting them, even if he knew them for years already, which surprised you, but he didn't say anything much. you learned about his greatest fears, favorite food, and even about a scar he had since he was young.</p><p>you wouldn't admit it out loud to him, but the conversation you shared was by far the most interesting you've had with anyone your age. he was great to talk to, and you were saddened by the thought of never seeing him again after this. plus, he was easy on the eyes. </p><p>on the long hours of the flight, you and clay stayed up talking. sleep loomed over both your shoulders, but it's safe to say that you ignored it just to hear clay's voice talking to you. the sun started to rise in the sky outside your plane window, the past hours slipping from your present. the closer you got to north carolina, the more your anxiety levels rose. you're afraid to stop this conversation and eventually, end this new-found friendship you were starting to really get attached to.</p><p>time flew away from you, because without your knowledge, you and clay were stepping off the plane and saying your goodbyes. a dreadful thing you weren't looking forward to.</p><p>the frown on your face was hard to miss and clay only chuckled at your change in mood. "hey, don't worry. i enjoyed talking to you, too, more than you know. it was refreshing."</p><p>"that's not what i mean. like, yeah, i enjoyed it a lot, too, but will we see each other again?" you were ready for your rising hope to be crushed, watching his green eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiled at you.</p><p>clay stepped closer to you, dragging his hand down your arm to drop down to your hands. his fingers warmed yours, his touch sparking jolts on your skin. "give me your phone," he said.</p><p>he clicked a couple icons on your screen, pressing numbers, then shutting it off when he was done. "don't look at it yet, not until i leave and my back is turned towards you. i'll talk to you soon," clay said, a goofy smile on his face. with your phone gripped in your hand, you watched as he picked up his luggage, wave back at you one last time, then as his figure started to become smaller and smaller as the distance between you grew larger and larger. </p><p>curiosity got the better of you. you turned on your phone, the screen lighting up to a twitter profile that said dream. scrolling further down the account, you found no pictures, only tweets about minecraft and tagging other minecraft players. the more you scrolled, the deeper you fell into his account.</p><p>realization soon hit the further you scrolled. there was no face attached to the persona, dream. you clicked on the first youtube video when you searched up his name. fifteen million subscribers to this channel, which impressed you greatly. his intro started to play, and you were mortified to recognize the voice.</p><p>clay talked through his video, playing with his friends and his familiar laughter comforted your insides. the information was a lot to process. you took a seat on the floor, laughing to yourself and the phone still open to the youtube video. "my god, this is such a clay thing to do."</p><p>you swiped out of twitter and youtube, then noticed a new contact in your phone. "dream :)" a smile appeared on your face before you could stop it. </p><p>at least i have a contact.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>happy new year, everyone!! i hope you're having a great day, and i know it's been super hard, considering this year. in all honesty, fuck 2020. nonetheless, i'm so proud you made it this far, to december 31st, 2020. may love and luck follow you to 2021 and may our streamers be there for us while we're there for them. </p><p>happy new year! thank you for your support!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>